Carol Voronyak

ESPN director | Talent recruitment | Class of 2004

“I met Dr. Parker while serving as the student-athlete representative on the athletic board. It was my senior year, and Dr. Parker and I were discussing my career goals beyond college," she says.

"I told him I was studying broadcast journalism and that I’d love to work at a place ‘like ESPN.’

“Little did I know that he was great friends with the head of production hiring at ESPN’s headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut. He asked me if I would like an introduction, and I jumped at the chance. A phone interview in February led to an in-person interview in April and I found out the Friday before graduation that I was going to get a chance to start as a production assistant at the best network in the country.

“Never mind the fact that it was $9 an hour, 6 p.m. to 3 a.m. with Tuesdays and Wednesdays off. This was my dream.

"If it wasn’t for Larry offering to connect me, who knows how my life would have turned out?”